They appeared in a different dimension entirely.
First of all, Jacq had no idea where the lair from earlier was located. But this current lair they appeared is sure from a different dimension.
Just like how pink made up the Barbie land, the whole world here is made of blue. To much blue, it hurts the eyes.
Though he couldn't see anywhere outside the lair, he was very sure this place is not Earth.
Nothing like this could exist on Earth without being noticed by anyone, Jacq thought. Since Professor Jerkins has been confirmed dead during the Green war, he couldn't have made a lair with the best technology ever on Earth without raising suspicion.
Jacq moved steadily behind Cassie as they branched by a corner. The hall went a long way ahead.
Jacq noticed the different happenings in this mini universe. He could see robots and men going about one activity or the other. Men controlling the bots, and in some area, robots controlling low ranking men.
Crazy.
The workers all wore blue lab coats and the robots, even though they are painted black, all have blue outlines throughout their metallic body.
Jacq's eyes hurt. He has seen too much blue to last him a lifetime.
Damn this man. Which villain chooses the blue colour?
"My dad doesn't like blue. The orb made him," Cassie remarked as if she has been reading Jacq's thoughts.
Jacq mumbled, "I don't care."
They continued on after turning another bend towards another long blue hall.
Jacq grew tired of the endless walk.
"Who built this place? Is your dad fucking crazy?"
Immediately he said that, the blue world turned into bright red that flashed angrily with the deafening wailing alarm.
Cassie lamented, "Good god, Jacq..." She rubbed her forehead in visible frustration.
Jacq was surprised and unaware of what was going on.
"What did I do, girl?"
"Stop cursing, Jacq. This place is built to eliminate even potential cursers. See?"
"Holy hell, I didn't know that..."
Cassie screamed, "you're cursing again. Stop fucking doing that. Are you insane?"
Jacq laughed, "you just cursed too."
The atmosphere of the lair suddenly grew tense as every nearby worker stopped what they were doing to stare at them. Some backed off to a corner.
Everywhere still flashed red and the danger alarm won't stop wailing.
About twenty drones flew into sight aiming their pointy ends in Jacq and Cassie's direction.
Cassie pressed a button on her suit by her wrist and whispered a command, and at once, the world went quiet again. The drones returned to wherever they came from and activities returned to normal.
Suddenly, Cassie turned back and rushed towards Jacq. With eyes glinting more angrily, she grabbed him by his hood and smacked him to the blue floor before pinning him down with her knees. She whispered in his ears angrily.
"Look here, little boy. I don't care how funny you are or how sarcastic your comments may be. You shouldn't come in here to ruin what I've worked for. I won't hold back the next time you get on my nerves, register that?!" She gave him a little push down and rose immediately.
Jacq rose slowly, massaging his shoulders...
Damn, she's beautiful. Even when she's angry.
He watched her stamp hard on the floor as she turned another corner. He followed at once.
Right, let's go see that crazy bastard that sets drones on my kind.
Shortly after turning the next corner, they came face to face with a dead end, a solid blue wall just like what they've encountered throughout the journey.
This section of the lair was deserted. Restricted to workers, maybe.
Cassie went to the corner of the wall by the right, bent down and stared hard at the angle between wall and floor. She stood up and stepped back a step.
"Dad?"
That was all...
The whole floor where they stood caved in and they dropped fell into an endless hole. Jacq shouted as they went down. They kept falling for a few more minutes but it seemed like it was forever.
Cassie landed first on a hard floor that sloped down into more darkness. Jacq followed, shouting all the while.
Then, they stopped as the floor became more straight.
Fuck this man, dude.
Jacq's heart was in his mouth.
Jacq couldn't see anything in the dark and he stretched out his hands to locate Cassie. He found the metallic figure a little to his left and held on to her for dear life. He was breathing fast.
"... Get your hands off me, Jacq," Cassie warned.
Then, the room suddenly lighted up. And Jacq found his left hand resting perfectly on Cassie's ass. He left his hand there, shocked as he understood why she had warned him earlier.
Though she was all covered up in metal and he touched no real skin, he still felt like he had just violated her. Poor Jacq being his first, quickly withdrew his hand in embarrassment and buried in into his hood pockets.
Cassie chuckled and said, "fool."
Jacq turned away from her to face the opposite direction. He saw what was ahead and scoffed in exhausting familiarity.
"More blue, of course. Get me a shade please. I'm about to go blind, is that your aim, Cassie?"
Cassie seemed oblivious of Jacq at this moment. She turned round the chamber as she called out her dad.
"Dad, come out. I have something for you."
Jacq turned to her and said, "am I the 'something'? Is your dad a cannibal? I'm not so delicious I must warn you."
"I WILL EAT YOU ALL THE SAME," came the voice that sounded from nowhere, yet from everywhere.
The voice reverberated round the large chamber.
Jacq fretted a little as he wasn't sure what was coming for him. The one behind the voice was probably joking. He is brought here to answer for how he came to have a certain key in his possession after all.
But nothing here can be trusted. The whole story about the orb, the green war and this whole mini universe he's just stepped into. He still felt like it was all an illusion and in a little while, he'll return to his home to continue on with his video games.
Yet, here he is, still drinking in the blue surroundings he has grown sick of. And now, he has just received a threat of being eaten for dinner.
An eerie music went up and as the wall turned inside out to reveal a more spacious chamber but a little less blue. There are dark outlines designing the walls and and even darker colours on the smooth floor.
Another secret enclosure opened and revealed a fat old man rolling down, sprawled on a wheelchair.
Jacq almost laughed...
He wasn't sure what he was expecting but from the many movies he has seen, the villains in control of an advanced technology are geniuses and they command more graceful appearances than this.
Jacq's whole life has been ruled by fantasy, and how he perceived the society has done little to prepare him for real life occurrences.
This old man right in front of him was a dead ass joke to him.
Granted, the wheelchair is a technology that allows BMI... The Brain Machine Interface allows one to control the machine connected, with the operator's mind. And it was powered to perfection by the blue orb of course.
"I will eat you all the same," the grotesque old man repeated. His half open mouth dripping spit.
Ugh. How is he even managing to talk? Still the orb?
Cassie cut in.
"Dad, that's not the reason I brought him. I've got news for you."
The old man looked in Cassie's direction as if he just took notice of her.
"My sweet pie. Oh my," he spoke softly, dripping more spit over his white coat. "What news have you brought?"
Jacq jumped in this time...
"Your delusional daughter thinks I kept something you have been looking for in my possession. Bail me out, old man." Jacq knew has little chance of living here in one piece. He's getting bored and sick of all these.
Cassie tensed and half crouched, out of habit like she was about to fight a lion. This piece of information has many effects she dared not think about. And she knows it all ends with a single line – the owner of the key rules the universe.
She had worked tirelessly to impress her old man. One of her many completed missions earned her the command of the lair from the other dimension, and yet she needed more approval. She needed to impress this haggard old man who had disapproved of her gender at first. The man who had taken her to the lab when she was seven, to be mutated into the form of an upgraded human.
"... Our team found what you seek, father. We found it..." Cassie shared the news with her face bowed.
The fat load of meat sprawled on the wheelchair seemed to have obtained a few bones in a second. He sat a little upright, with his eyes opened wide. His mouth closed in a thin line and his senses peaked.
"... We found the key," Cassie completed the news.
Old meat grew more bones. He stood up from the wheelchair suddenly, stretching his right hand. "Where is it, you little witch? WHERE IS IT?!!" He shouted.
Seems things have turned out of hand at this point. Cassie immediately regretted her actions. She could see the hunger for power and destruction in his father's face. She knew the world is as good as destroyed if this key falls into his hands.
Old professor Jerkins took a first step towards Cassie still stretching forth his right hand. He stared unblinking at his daughter. His pale white hair fell on his face.
He made a scary figure. A power driven ghost.
Cassie backed off towards Jacq and held his hands...
"We need to get out of here. Come with me, please," she said bitterly.
Sure, girl. You don't need to beg me. Let's fucking run.
"Do you know a secret place?" Jacq whispered in her ear.
"Yes," she whispered back, still looking at her approaching father.
"Alright. Time to make good use of your suit, then," Jacq smirked, cool as never.
Cassie held Jacq's hand tight as she ran towards the exit.
Professor Jerkins bellowed a command to no one, "soldiers!!!"
At once, the sound of metal shoes on hard floor went up outside the chamber.
Cassie stopped at once and Jacq bumped hard into her. They both fell on the ground.
"Where is the secret exit you know?" Jacq asked roughly, uncool as ever.
"It's a few steps in that direction," Cassie whispered as she pointed to her right. "But my dad will see us when we leave, and he'll direct his soldiers after us." Her blue eyes showed a whole lot of fear.
Jacq smirked visibly. He's just got an idea. Cassie became confused.
The soldiers are almost at the door...
You will help our escape, old man.
"Guess what Cassie," Jacq stood from the floor.
Cassie stood also, irritated at Jacq's little guess game, "what, Jacq?!!"
"FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOUR DAD!! FUCK BLUE CORP!! FUCK THE ORB!! FUCK THOSE SOLDIERS!!..." Jacq stopped when he heard the wailing alarm.
The alarm went off in deafening tone and the room started blinking wildly enohhe to blind a brand new eye.
The flashing red light blinded Professor Jerkins poor eyesight and he stopped in his slow tracks to cover his eyes.
Jacq shouted, "LET'S FUCKING GO!!!"
At once, Cassie ran into the solid blue wall by her right side and without thinking, Jacq followed, running right into it.
But they hit nothing solid. They went right through it as the door to the chamber bursted open.